


Love Live! Nijigasaki Shipping Anthology

by TheRev28



Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival ALL STARS (Video Game), Love Live! School Idol Project, ラブライブ! 虹ヶ咲学園スクールアイドル同好会 | Love Live! Nijigasaki Gakuen School Idol Doukoukai (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:01:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27618749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRev28/pseuds/TheRev28
Summary: Between the 11 members of the Nijigasaki School Idol Club, there are 55 possible ships between two characters. I come equipped with a random number generator and a dream: to write a oneshot for every single one of them. So let's dive right in.Chapter 16: Ayumu/Shizuku, Shizuku and Ayumu share an umbrella after Ayumu forgot hers.Inspired by the "Love Live! Sunshine!! Shipping Anthology" by AlexIsOkay.
Relationships: Asaka Karin/Mifune Shioriko, Asaka Karin/Miyashita Ai, Asaka Karin/Nakasu Kasumi, Asaka Karin/Uehara Ayumu, Asaka Karin/Yuuki Setsuna, Emma Verde/Takasaki Yuu, Emma Verde/Uehara Ayumu, Emma Verde/Yuuki Setsuna, Konoe Kanata/Miyashita Ai, Mifune Shioriko/Uehara Ayumu, Nakasu Kasumi/Tennouji Rina, Ousaka Shizuku/Uehara Ayumu, Ousaka Shizuku/Yuuki Setsuna, Takasaki Yuu/Uehara Ayumu, Tennouji Rina/Yuuki Setsuna, Uehara Ayumu/Yuuki Setsuna
Comments: 66
Kudos: 167





	1. Setsuna/Shizuku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setsuna helps Shizuku rehearse lines and learns a few things in the process.

“Hey Setsuna, would you mind staying behind to help me with something?”

Setsuna stopped and turned back to look at Shizuku. The other girl sat at one of the tables in the clubroom with two small booklets in front of her. Practice had just ended, and Setsuna had intended to go straight home and get a head start on some homework assignments. But, she couldn’t say no to her girlfriend.

“Of course, Shizu,” she said, smiling and walking back over to where Shizuku sat. “What do you need?”

“You know I have an audition coming up, right?” Shizuku asked. Setsuna nodded, signaling for Shizuku to continue. “Well, I was hoping you could help me run through one of the scenes I’ll have to do.”

“Absolutely I’ll help! Just tell me what you want me to do.”

Shizuku handed Setsuna one of the booklets, and Setsuna saw that it was _Much Ado About Nothing,_ by Shakespeare. 

“I’ve got it turned to the right page, so if you could read for Benedick while I read for Beatrice, I’d really appreciate it. I’ll be starting off with this line.” She pointed out the line in question. 

“Okay, I’m ready whenever you are!” Setsuna said. 

The two took places across from each other, standing a few feet apart, and Setsuna watched with rapt attention as Shizuku got into character. After closing her eyes and taking a few deep breaths, her girlfriend’s entire demeanor subtly shifted. Her back was straighter, and her chin lifted a bit more than she’d normally keep it. When she opened her eyes, her gaze was sharp, yet slightly teasing. A little smirk really sold the whole thing, and Setsuna realized she’d momentarily forgotten to breathe.

“I wonder that you will still be talking, Signior Benedick: nobody marks you,” Shizuku said, starting the scene. Even her voice was subtly different, matching the cloy, teasing smirk. Setsuna blinked a few times before remembering to say her own line.

“What, my dear Lady Disdain!” she said. “Are you yet living?”

“Is it possible disdain should die while she hath such meet food to feed it as Signior Benedick? Courtesy itself must convert to disdain, if you come in her presence.”

“Then is courtesy a turncoat. But it is certain I am loved of all ladies, only you excepted: and I would I could find in my heart that I had not a hard heart; for, truly, I love none.” Setsuna tried not to feel embarrassed at how many times she slipped up on the archaic language or how stilted the delivery sounded to her own ears.

“A dear happiness to women: they would else have been troubled with a pernicious suitor,” Shizuku said, showing no difficulty adopting the manner of speech. “I thank God and my cold blood, I am of your humour for that: I had rather hear my dog bark at a crow than a man swear he loves me.”

Setsuna couldn’t hold back the laughter at hearing such a line. “I’m sorry, Shizu, that just took me off guard. I didn’t expect to hear you say something like that, especially when you were quoting Shakespeare.”

“Oh sweetheart, that was honestly very tame for Shakespeare,” Shizuku said, dropping out of character and giving Setsuna a normal smile. Setsuna raised her brow.

“Really?” she asked. “I’ll be honest, I don’t actually know much about Shakespeare plays. They always felt a bit too… stuffy for me.”

Shizuku’s eyes lit up. “Quite the contrary! He was a playwright for the common people. Almost all of his plays are filled with double entendre and dirty jokes, but the language has changed so much, and a lot of it doesn’t translate well.”

“D-dirty jokes?” Setsuna’s cheeks flushed a bit. “I didn’t say anything dirty just now, did I?”

“No, no, don’t worry, there was nothing in this passage,” Shizuku said, laughing. “But believe it or not, there’s actually a triple entendre in the title itself.”

“A triple entendre? In just the title?”

Shizuku nodded eagerly. “There’s the obvious interpretation—that the characters are making a big deal out of nothing. Another reading relies on the fact that in Shakespeare’s English, ‘nothing’ and ‘noting’ were pronounced the same. ‘Noting’ meant to gossip, and the main conflict of the play starts because of some baseless gossip.” She paused and broke eye contact, looking down a little and fidgeting with the bottom of her shirt.

“And the third meaning?” Setsuna asked, after her girlfriend had been silent for a few seconds.

“Well… ‘nothing’ used to be a slang term for… a woman’s privates. And a lot of the conflict is about whether or not a character is a virgin.”

Setsuna’s face immediately lit up a vibrant red, and she put her hands on her cheeks in an attempt to hide it. Meanwhile, Shizuku laughed.

“It’s ok, I had the same reaction the first time I learned that,” Shizuku said. She stepped closer and planted a quick kiss on Setsuna’s forehead, which only served to deepen the blush. “You’re really cute like that. Red is definitely your color.”

“Shizuuuuuu,” Setsuna whined, trying to pout. That only made Shizuku laugh more. 

“Come on, sweetheart, let’s start back from the top. I really do want to practice this a few times.”

It took a few moments for Setsuna to regain her composure, but the couple eventually got back to practicing. Setsuna always loved watching her girlfriend act, and getting to help her do so felt like an honor. All in all, she had a lot of fun.

Shizuku ended up getting the role, and Setsuna sat front and center on opening night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how much of this would work in Japanese, so just don't worry about it, lol. The fact remains: Shizuku is a theatre kid, and she'd totally know random bits of info about Shakespeare and his works.


	2. Ayumu/Emma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emma convinces Ayumu to wear a cute dress that she normally wouldn't.

Ayumu had always enjoyed early autumn. The temperature dropped away from the blazing heat of summer, yet was still warm enough to comfortably enjoy the cute dresses she had in her wardrobe. She was currently enjoying said weather as she walked hand in hand with her girlfriend Emma, heading towards Emma’s dorm room. Ever since they started dating, they had taken to spending afternoons after practice doing homework together. The convenient proximity of the dorms made this all too easy.

When they finally reached Emma’s room, they both got to work. They’d learned early on that if they cuddled first, no homework would actually get done. The promise of future cuddles served as a good motivator to get their assignments done quickly and done well.

Thankfully, Ayumu didn’t have much to do that night, so she finished up relatively quickly. Emma still had some Japanese to do, and Ayumu had learned that Emma liked to at least try it all by herself before asking for help. That left Ayumu without much to do. She pulled out her phone and started looking for some date ideas for that weekend. They usually alternated who picked date activities, and this week it was Ayumu’s turn.

After a few minutes, she stumbled across something she thought had some great potential. Apparently that weekend, there would be something in Odaiba called “Oktoberfest.” Looking at the pictures and skimming through the info, it sounded just like how Emma described her home country. Even though Emma rarely showed it, Ayumu knew her girlfriend occasionally suffered from bouts of homesickness. This sounded like a good way to have fun together while also giving her a taste of home. She filed that idea away for later.

Eventually, Emma put her pen down and stretched her arms above her head. “Sorry I took so long,” she said, turning around to look at Ayumu. “You know how I can be with kanji.”

“It’s alright,” Ayumu said, smiling. “I actually spent the free time looking up ideas for our date this weekend.” 

Emma’s eyes lit up, and a big smile replaced the slightly dour look her homework had given her. 

“That’s wonderful! Did you find anything that sounded fun?”

“I did! Odaiba’s holding an event called ‘Oktoberfest,’ and it looked a lot like what you’ve shown me of Switzerland. I thought that’d be a fun way for us to spend time together and for you to get a little taste of home!”

Almost immediately, Ayumu could tell something she’d said had been stupid. Emma’s expression shifted to one akin to a parent about to gently correct a child.

" _ Leprotta… _ Oktoberfest is a German tradition, not a Swiss one," Emma said, gently. Ayumu's eyes widened, and her cheeks grew red from embarrassment.

"Oh my gosh, Emma, I am so sorry! I had never even heard of Oktoberfest, so I just based it on the pictures. Oh, please just forget I said anything about it, I’ll find something else for us to do.”

“No no no, it’s okay!” Emma got up from her desk to sit next to Ayumu on the bed, wrapping her girlfriend in a hug. Ayumu buried her face in Emma’s shoulder to hide from the embarrassment. “The cultures do share similarities, and it was an honest mistake. Besides, even if it’s not Swiss, it still sounds fun! I’d love to get a taste of the Alps again.”

“I still feel bad I made such a simple mistake,” Ayumu said, her voice muffled.

“How about this: If you want to make it up to me, you can wear a  _ dirndl _ with me to the festival!”

Ayumu removed her face from Emma’s shoulder and gave her girlfriend a confused look. “What’s a di… dirun….”

“A  _ dirndl _ ,” Emma said again, slower this time. “It’s a traditional Swiss dress, and I think it would be so fun and adorable to wear matching ones!” She took out her phone and pulled up an example picture.

Ayumu immediately recognized the outfit—she’d seen this same picture of Emma wearing one many times. It consisted of a tight bodice over a fairly loose blouse that did an amazing job of highlighting certain features that made Ayumu blush just thinking about. The apron and skirt looked very cute, though, adding a wonderful splash of color to the outfit. She couldn’t deny how good it looked on Emma, but she didn’t know if it would look as good on her—

Ayumu mentally slapped her cheeks. She’d been trying to avoid those kinds of thoughts since becoming an idol.

“Do… do you have one I could maybe try on first?” 

Emma’s face lit up, and she hurried over to her closet. It didn’t take her very long to find what she was looking for, and she came back with a few pieces of clothing in her arms. Over the next few minutes, Emma helped her girlfriend into the unfamiliar outfit. 

The blouse was a simple white linen with a fairly conservative neckline and puffy short sleeves. It was honestly very comfortable. The skirt and bodice were actually sewn together—which made getting it on a bit challenging. Thankfully, Emma had lots of practice with it. These were a heavier cotton material, dyed in a beautiful royal blue. The skirt went down to just below her knees, and it was loose enough to move freely in. The bodice, on the other hand, was almost uncomfortably tight, accentuating her chest to an almost embarrassing degree. The apron that covered the front of the skirt was a simple red color that stood out against the royal blue bodice and skirt. 

Ayumu could hardly recognize herself in the mirror. The outfit was so foreign, so different to anything she had worn before, but… she rather liked it.

“Oh I knew you’d look adorable in Ticino colors!” Emma said, standing behind her. Impulsively, she leaned down a little and kissed Ayumu on the cheek, drawing a blush from her girlfriend almost as red as the apron. “I have another one with the colors reversed, and I think it’d be so cute to walk around the fair together wearing them.”

Ayumu could already picture the sight: the two of them walking hand in hand through the booths, enjoying pretzels, shaved ice, or whatever else they found. Emma would look gorgeous in the d… dir… dirndl she described.

“Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun,” Ayumu said, turning to look at Emma. Her girlfriend had such a beautiful smile, and Ayumu couldn’t help herself. She leaned in and gave Emma a quick kiss. Her smile grew even wider.

That weekend, the couple spent the afternoon wandering around Odaiba Oktoberfest, wearing matching dirndls. It was the best date either of them could remember.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like making use of the fact that Emma is from the Italian speaking part of Switzerland. It's such a vastly different culture to Japan, and it can make for a lot of good moments.


	3. Karin/Kasumi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi and Karin share an evening together after Kasumi's graduation.

Karin sat in Nijigasaki’s massive auditorium, waiting for the diploma ceremony to end. It was her second time back since her own graduation, and it would likely be the last—the last of her school idol club kouhai were finally graduating. And among them was her girlfriend, Kasumi.

The past two years had been… challenging, to say the least. Karin had gained enough popularity to become a full time model after graduation, and she had thrown herself headfirst into it. Kasumi, meanwhile, had devoted herself fully to becoming the best school idol she could be. It gave them little time to spend with each other, but Karin was thinking ahead; if both their careers took off, that would become the norm. 

The fact that Kasumi had already signed a contract to become a professional idol after graduation sort of made that a more immediate concern. So Karin tried her best to make it work.

Not to say it went perfectly. She still had a bad tendency to shut herself away when things in her job didn’t go well. Kasumi would still text her relentlessly, though, even if Karin didn’t reply. Having that lifeline back to the real world did a lot to help Karin’s mental state during those times.

After the ceremony—which Karin totally hadn’t teared up at, nope, not one bit—Karin left the auditorium to wait at their designated meeting spot. She still wasn’t the biggest fan of crowds, so she’d decided to wait outside. Besides, Kasumi deserved some time to celebrate with her family and classmates. Karin could wait. 

About ten minutes later, a familiar voice called out.

“Well look who actually decided to show up,” Kasumi said, standing a few feet away. She closed the distance with a smirk on her face. “It’s only been a few weeks since you lost that cover shoot. I expected you to still be locked in your room.”

“What can I say?” Karin said, shrugging her shoulders. “I didn’t want to miss watching my favorite gremlin graduate.” There was a little more to it than that, but she couldn’t resist a chance to tease her girlfriend.

Kasumi growled one of her signature growls. “Kasumin’s not a gremlin! At least pick something cuter!”

“I can think of at least one cute gremlin.”

“Oh yeah? Who?”

Karin leaned down and kissed her girlfriend. “My cute little Kasumin.”

She always considered it a blessing and a victory when she could get her girlfriend to blush, pout, and growl all at the same time. Throughout their two years of dating, it had only happened a handful of times. It felt good that the count hit double digits on such a special occasion.

“C’mon, let’s get out of here,” Karin said, putting her arm around Kasumi’s shoulder and leading her away from the crowd. “I prepped a celebration dinner at my apartment, and I thought it’d be fun to make it together. I also thought you could stay the night?”

“I maybe already told my parents that was the plan,” Kasumi said, fidgeting just a little. Karin simply laughed.

“Perfect.”

The couple traveled back to Karin’s apartment, hand in hand the entire time. 

When they arrived, Kasumi took a moment to look around. The place was a mess, as expected, yet she could see a few tell-tale signs of  _ attempted _ tidying.

“Wow, you even tried to clean up?” Kasumi said as Karin dropped her purse on the floor near the door. “I should feel honored.”

“Just wait till you learn I went grocery shopping, too.” Karin stopped and put a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t hide the smile or the twinkle in her eyes, though. “Oops, I spoiled my own surprise.”

Kasumi rolled her eyes and pushed past her girlfriend, heading into the small kitchen area. Karin simply laughed and followed after.

They began the process of making dinner together. Cooking was something both of them enjoyed, though they very rarely had the time to do so together. It felt good working together to create something they could both immediately enjoy.

At one point while cutting vegetables, Kasumi snickered to herself.

“Something funny?” Karin asked, glancing at her girlfriend out of the corner of her eye.

“Just thinking about how many of Kasumin’s fans would kill to be in your position. Not many people get to say they’ve made dinner with the world’s cutest idol.” She paused in her work to give Karin one of her signature sickeningly sweet poses.

Karin simply snorted and kept peeling potatoes. “Well, only one person gets to say they’ve kissed the successful model, Karin Asaka.”

“I’ve done more than just kiss her.”

The peeler slipped in Karin’s hand, cutting off a large chunk of actual potato. She could feel her face heat up, and she just hoped her makeup hid the blush. Based on Kasumi’s laughter, her guess was no.

“And that’s why you’re the trophy wife, senpai,” Kasumi said, continuing to effortlessly cut the vegetables. Karin scoffed.

“I’m not a trophy wife when I have just as successful a career as you,” she said, getting back to work.

“But you’re literally a model. That’s  _ way _ more trophy wife than an idol.”

Kasumi always knew just what to say to get Karin riled up, and she’d inadvertently touched on a topic Karin had wanted to address at some point that night. Karin had wanted it to be under slightly different circumstances, but she couldn’t hold back her instinct to try and win in their conversation.

“I won’t be  _ just _ a model for much longer. My agent called me yesterday, telling me I landed a minor role in an upcoming movie. So you can add ‘actress’ as well.”

Karin heard a small thud as Kasumi made a cut with more force than necessary. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her girlfriend had turned to stare at her. In a flash, Kasumi pulled Karin into a tight hug.

“Congratulations, Karin,” she said, speaking into Karin’s chest. Karin put down the peeler and returned the hug. “I’m so proud of you.” 

The sudden, honest declaration immediately brought a tear to Karin’s eye, and she didn’t know how to reply. So she opted to just hug Kasumi tighter. The two stayed like that for a while, silently celebrating Karin’s achievement. 

Eventually, they broke the hug, but Kasumi stood up on her tiptoes to give Karin a quick kiss. When she pulled back, she had a playful smirk on her face. 

“I guess I have to work extra hard as an idol now. I’m too cute to be the trophy wife.”

Karin laughed a rare genuine laugh. “And when you eventually go Gold, I guess I’ll have to earn a lead role, won’t I?”

“And when you do that, I’ll just have to go Platinum,” Kasumi said, staring at Karin with a serious face. 

Karin returned the serious stare, and the two held their little contest for a few moments. Then they simultaneously burst into laughter. Karin leaned down and gave a quick kiss of her own.

“I love you, Kasumi.”

“I love you, too, Karin.”

The two got back to work cooking dinner, staying mostly silent, simply enjoying their time together. A lot of things had been said without being said, and Karin needed some time to process it all. Even still, she was certain about one thing.

If this really was the first day of the rest of their lives, maybe she didn’t have to worry as much about the future as she’d thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While writing this chapter, I very quickly came to love the KasuKari dynamic. It's so fun writing their banter back and forth, and I likely could have made this much longer if I didn't want to stay at ~1k words per chapter. Maybe I'll have to come back to them in the future.


	4. Emma/Setsuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Setsuna finally gets to meet Emma's siblings.

Setsuna and Emma sat on Emma’s bed with Setsuna’s laptop open in front of them. Setsuna sat between her girlfriend’s legs, reveling in the warm, safe feeling of Emma’s arms wrapped around her. Earlier that evening, Setsuna had shown Emma a recording of an early Aqours live show that Emma hadn’t been able to watch in Switzerland. Afterwards, they’d spent quite a while talking about their favorite idols and ones who had inspired them.

“You know… my siblings recently told me they have a new favorite school idol,” Emma said in a tone of voice that was almost… teasing?

“Really?” Setsuna asked, looking over her shoulder to try and see Emma’s expression. “Who is it?”

“She’s relatively new on the school idol scene, but she’s made a big splash very quickly. Someone by the name of Setsuna Yuki.”

Setsuna’s first reaction was to think, _Wow, how did I not know there was another Setsuna Yuki in the idol world._ A moment later, though, the truth sunk in, and she broke free of Emma’s embrace to face her girlfriend. Emma had a huge smile that only grew impossibly larger upon seeing Setsuna’s shocked expression. 

“M-me? I’m their new favorite school idol?”

Emma simply nodded, and Setsuna felt her heart grow three sizes.

“C-can I talk to them? Oh please, Emma! Please, I want to talk to them! I want to meet them and thank them and give them autographs and maybe I could even put on an impromptu live show for them! Wait, no, that would sound awful here in the dorms. Okay, well I want to send them a CD! Wait, do we even have CD’s? I want to make CD’s so I can send them some! And—” 

_“Stellina,_ slow down,” Emma said, pulling Setsuna back into the hug she had escaped from. “How about for now, we stick to letting you meet them. I’ve never seen you get this excited over your fans before.”

“They’re not just fans, they’re _your siblings!_ ” Setsuna said, still melting into the hug. “They could have picked any group to be their favorite—like Midnight Cats or Mutant Girls!—but my girlfriend’s little siblings picked _me._ It’s so cute I think I’m going to burst!” 

Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “Imagine how they’ll react when they get to meet their favorite idol! Did you want to talk to them now? I think it’d be around lunch time in Switzerland.”

Setsuna’s eyes lit up, and all she could do was nod excitedly, practically bouncing in place. Emma just laughed as she got off the bed and turned on her own laptop on the desk. Opening her video call program, she was happy to see her family’s account showing as online. She looked back at Setsuna, was still on the bed. 

“Go stand over there,” Emma said, pointing to an area that would be out of view of the webcam. “I want it to be a surprise that you’re here.” Setsuna once again nodded and hurried over to the designated place.

With her girlfriend effectively hidden, Emma called her family. It only took a few rings before they picked up, and she was greeted by the slightly confused face of her little brother. Upon seeing Emma, his expression morphed into one of uncontrolled excitement.

 _“Emma!!”_ he yelled, loudly enough it probably echoed off the nearby mountain. Then he turned around and looked back into the living room. _“Guys! It’s Emma! Sis is calling us! Get over here!”_ Almost immediately, seven more faces hurried into view, and Emma had to hold back her laughter at the ridiculous sight. 

_“I know this is unexpected, but I’ve actually got a surprise for all of you,”_ she said after quickly shifting her thought processes back into Italian. _“There’s someone special I want you to meet.”_

That earned some confused looks, but Emma ignored them and glanced over at Setsuna. She beckoned her girlfriend over with a little wave, and Setsuna stepped into view.

“Hello! It’s so wonderful to meet you all!” she said, either oblivious to, or unbothered by, the language barrier.

It didn’t matter to the kids, either. Even without her idol outfit, the force of her personality was too strong. They recognized her instantly, and after a brief stunned silence, the uproar was almost deafening. 

The next hour was both incredibly fun and (for Emma, at least) incredibly exhausting. She obviously had to play translator, and both sides had so many things they wanted to say. Her siblings asked Setsuna every single question that popped into their heads, and Setsuna eagerly responded to all of them. She even got to ask questions of her own, and the little ones always tried to answer at the same time.

Towards the end, Setsuna glanced at her girlfriend and noticed the subtly strained expression. Without a thought, she leaned over and kissed Emma on the cheek.

“You’re doing wonderful, sweetie, thank you,” she muttered.

After a short but noticeable silence, the other side of the video call exploded with voices. The general sentiment of which translated to: _“Are you two_ dating?!”

 _“Yes, Setsu is my little star,”_ Emma said, not bothering to try and hide it.

 _“I thought idols couldn’t date,”_ her youngest sister said.

 _“It’s okay for idols to date other idols. But that’s an industry secret, so don’t let anyone else know, alright?”_ Making them feel like they were in on a secret together was exactly the perfect thing to do. Emma knew they’d carry it to the grave now.

Eventually, the conversation wound down as it got later in the evening for Emma and Setsuna. 

_“Alright little ones, it’s getting late here, and Setsu needs to head home. Say goodbye now.”_

Her sisters all said goodbye in Italian, but her brother stayed noticeably quiet. Once the girls quieted down, he spoke up.

 _“Sayounara, Setsu-nee!”_ he said in uncertain Japanese. Setsuna’s face lit up in a blinding smile she usually reserved for the stage.

“Addio, fratellino!” Setsuna responded in equally uncertain Italian. Emma turned to stare at her girlfriend, having had no idea she’d been learning Italian. Her siblings, meanwhile, all beamed with an intensity riviling Setsuna’s. 

The call ended, and Emma once again turned to look at Setsuna.

“I had no idea you were learning Italian.”

“Oh! Well, heh… I wanted to surprise you with it, and I thought this would be a fun time to do it,” Setsuna said, blushing a little. “I still don’t know much, but I want to keep learning!”

“Oh _stellina…._ ” Emma leaned in and gave Setsuna a kiss. She kept it short for now, but with the promise of more, later. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Emma,” Setsuna said. Then, deciding that “later” meant “now,” she stole a kiss of her own.

Setsuna got home late that night, but it was worth the scolding.


	5. Rina/Setsuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rina and Setsuna participate in a game jam together.

Setsuna sat on Rina’s bed with her laptop open in front of her, idly scrolling through some anime forums. Rina sat at her desk, staring at her monitors, doing something Setsuna couldn’t quite see. Originally, the two had met up to study together, but that hadn’t taken nearly as long as they’d thought it would. Once they’d finished their assignments, they each went about doing their own things. Some might find it odd that a couple could be so content to just sit in the same room together, but the quiet companionship had become something Setsuna treasured greatly. 

Rina sat back in her chair and stretched, making a cute little squeak. When Setsuna looked up, she caught a glimpse of what Rina had been working on. On one monitor, she had a text document open with some flow charts, and on another she had a bunch of windows open that Setsuna didn’t even recognize.

Her curiosity got the better of her. “What are you working on, Rina?”

Rina looked over. She obviously didn’t have her board up, but Setsuna was trying to get better at reading her girlfriend’s face. She thought she caught a slight widening of the eyes that would indicate surprise. 

“There’s a game jam this weekend, and I finally wanted to give it a shot,” Rina said. “I guess you could say I’m doing pre-production.”

Setsuna gasped, and her eyes widened. “A game jam? One of those events where you make a game in 24 hours?” Rina nodded. Setsuna practically flew off the bed and over to Rina’s side. “I didn’t know you could make games! Have you made one before? Do you have any ideas for this one? What kind of game will it be? Is there a cool story with a dashing protagonist and a terrifying villain? Do you— ”

“Signal.”

Hearing that, Setsuna immediately stopped talking. Early on in their relationship, the two had devised a system for Rina to quickly and easily let Setsuna know that she was getting overstimulated. A literal signal. They could usually find a nice balance between Setsuna’s unbridled enthusiasm and Rina’s subdued nature, but occasionally Setsuna got to be a little much. Hence the signal. 

“I’m sorry, Rina, I let my excitement get out of hand,” Setsuna said, hanging her head a little.

“Apology accepted.” Rina reached out and patted her girlfriend’s head. “To answer your question, I have some ideas, but I don’t want to do too much before the event starts. That feels like cheating.”

“That’s a respectable attitude to have. Do you have a genre in mind, at least?”

“I was thinking a platformer. I still don’t have much experience making games, so it seems like a good place to start.”

Setsuna’s eyes lit up. “Oh I love platformers!” She gasped and reached out, grabbing Rina’s hands. “Do you think I could help? I’ve never made a game before, but it sounds like a lot of fun!”

“Do you know how to code in Unity?” Rina asked. Setsuna just tilted her head. “What about UI design?”

“No, I’ve never done that.”

“Character design?”

“Sometimes I like to doodle my favorite anime characters in my notebook.” 

“Sound design?”

“Does being an idol count?”

“Yuu makes the actual music, so no.”

“Isn’t there anything I could help with?” Setsuna asked with a pleading look in her eyes. “Even just moral support? It sounds like such a fun experience, and it’s something I want us to share together!”

Rina stared back for a few moments before tugging her hands free and reaching for her board. After flipping through a few pages, she held it up to her face. It clearly depicted a blushing, slightly embarrassed expression.

“That does sound fun. It’d almost be like a 24 hour long date. Rina-chan board says: ‘blushy blushy’.”

Setsuna’s smile lit up the room. The two spent the rest of the evening discussing some broad ideas, but nothing too specific. Rina still wanted to go into the jam mostly from scratch.

When the weekend finally arrived, Setsuna got to Rina’s house bright and early. She had made sure Rina got plenty of sleep the night before, considering they’d be up for the next 24 hours—a fact she had tactfully not told her parents when asking permission for this sleepover.

For the first hour or so, the couple hammered out the details of the game. They settled on a platformer, but they differed on the overall aesthetic: Setsuna wanted something fantasy, and Rina wanted something sci-fi. In the end, they settled on a blend of the two, a sort of futuristic fantasy. 

With a game plan in place, Rina began work on the more technical aspects like coding—making sure the player sprite interacted the right way with the level itself. She worked with blank stand-ins, because Setsuna was hard at work designing the characters and monsters.

“How does this look?” Setsuna asked after about another hour. 

Rina looked away from her monitor to inspect the notebook that Setsuna had been drawing in. What greeted her was Setsuna’s idea for the main character. Immediately, Rina noticed it was much too detailed to use as a sprite—they were going with a pixel art aesthetic—but she saw the potential in the design. 

The girl had short, black hair, styled in a manner similar to Rina’s own. Her eyes were the same golden hue as Rina’s, but the expression was one of fierce determination. It reminded Rina of the face Setsuna made before going on stage. The outfit was… eclectic to say the least. The top was grey with long sleeves and red highlights, and she wore a grey and red plaid skirt. 

Rina looked past the notebook and at her girlfriend. “How’d you come up with this?”

“Oh! Well, I, um….” Setsuna looked away and blushed. “I tried to combine the two of us into a character.”

It all clicked in Rina’s mind, especially the outfit choice. Looking at it again, she realized it was a combination of their live show outfits. 

“I hope you don’t hate it,” Setsuna muttered.

Without another thought, Rina leaned forward and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. Setsuna quickly turned back, but Rina was already looking away, grabbing her board. She flipped to the page she wanted and looked back at Setsuna.

“I love it. Rina-chan board says: ‘super happy’.”

“Oh, I’m so glad!” Setsuna said, pulling Rina into a quick hug. 

“We’ll have to tweak it a little, but that can happen later. Why don’t you start on the final boss.”

“Alright, I’m on it! Let me know if you need any help with what you’re doing, okay?”

Rina had a feeling her girlfriend wouldn’t be able to help with the coding, but she kept that to herself. Instead, she just nodded, and the two got back to work.

Over the next 24 hours, a real, actual game took shape. It was just a single level, and the backgrounds could have been a lot better, and they’d had to settle for using royalty free music, and the character designs were all over the place, and… well….

None of that mattered to either of them. 

By the time the game jam ended, they had a game that they’d made together, and it worked. They’d spent the past day pouring their hearts into this project, and through all its flaws, they could still see the passion that had created it. 

As the two slept off their exhaustion, curled in each other’s embrace, they dreamed of what they had accomplished, and what they could continue to achieve. Together.


	6. Ayumu/Yuu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayumu finally admits her feelings in a way even Yuu can understand.

Ayumu stood just offstage, waiting for her time to perform. In the background of her perception, she heard Setsuna belting out “CHASE!”, and the lyrics provided her a little confidence. Not only would this be her first official live show, but it would also be the moment she confessed to the person she’d loved since middle school.

For the longest time, she thought she was content just to be at Yuu’s side as her best friend. They’d been that way since elementary school, after all. But sometime in their final year before high school, Ayumu realized her feelings had gone beyond friendship—even best friendship. She spent all of their first year trying to suppress those feelings, trying to keep them hidden. That’s when she realized two things: 

First, she was not good at hiding her feelings. Second, it didn’t matter, because Yuu was more romantically dense than a rock.

After that fateful day when they had seen Setsuna perform on the staircase in Odaiba, both of their passions had been ignited: Yuu for supporting school idols, and Ayumu for becoming one herself. She had never seen a way for her to express her feelings so clearly, and a small part of her wondered if maybe she could finally get Yuu to understand how she felt. She’d stayed up much later than she should have writing lyrics to a song that she never knew lived in her heart.

When she sang “Dream With You” on the steps while walking home the next night, she thought for sure her feelings would get through. 

Ayumu forgot to take into account the second thing she’d realized the year before. 

Yuu continued to be more romantically dense than a rock.

Yet here Ayumu stood, months later, on the stage of her dreams, with the same song still in her heart. She wanted—no, she  _ needed _ —Yuu to understand. She’d make sure the full extent of her feelings came across this time.

A roar of applause brought Ayumu back into the moment. Looking out at the stage, she saw Setsuna bowing and breathing heavily with sweat dripping down her face. Even though she hadn’t been paying attention, she still clapped for her friend’s performance. As Setsuna walked off stage, she gave Ayumu one of her patented blinding smiles.

“Wonderful as ever, Setsuna,” Ayumu said. “They really loved you out there!”

“And I’m sure they’ll love you just as much!” Setsuna said. Then her smile took on a more teasing glint. “Or should I say  _ she _ will.” 

Ayumu tried to fight down the blush she knew was peeking out. Setsuna laughed and put a hand on Ayumu’s shoulder.

“I’ve seen the effort you’ve put into this, Ayumu. Your passion and your love will be clear for everyone to see.”

“Thank you,” Ayumu said after a brief pause. 

Distantly, Ayumu heard the announcement for her performance. Setsuna squeezed her shoulder then continued backstage. Ayumu took one last deep breath before stepping out into the future.

There were plenty of cheers for her, despite the fact that this was her first live performance. Her introductory PV must have been more popular than she’d thought. She looked out into the crowd, seeing all the KingBlades shining her color. After a brief scan, she managed to find Yuu, standing front and center with a fist full of lights all on her own. Her expression was every bit as radiant as ever. The two shared a smile just between themselves before Ayumu turned her attention back to the crowd at large.

“Hello everyone! My name is Ayumu Uehara, and I’m a second year student at Nijigasaki High School!” She finished her introduction with a bow. With her heart threatening to beat out of her chest, she took one final deep breath before straightening and continuing. 

"I want to devote this song to the most important person in my world. The person who supports me through everything I do. The person who pushed me to follow my dreams of being an idol." Ayumu paused and once again sought out Yuu in the crowd. Her friend had a slightly surprised look on her face, but the two made eye contact. Ayumu held that through the final part of her pre-show.

“This song is for you. I love you.

_ “Tobitateru Dreaming Sky….” _

The actual performance passed in a blur. She had practiced too long and too often to mess up, but as the song died away, she had no idea if it had actually been good. The roar from the crowd and wildly flailing KingBlades seemed to indicate it had gone well. When she looked at Yuu, though, her friend just stood there, staring with her eyes wide and jaw dropped.

Ayumu’s breath hitched. She’d messed up. She’d made a mistake. 

Doing her best to maintain her composure, she bowed one last time and walked off stage. Once out of sight of the crowd, Ayumu ran. Ai’s congratulations fell on deaf ears. Ayumu had to get away. 

Her feet took her back to the steps where she had first sang “Dream With You” all those months ago. The place where both of their dreams began. 

The tiredness hit her all at once, and she had to sit down. She’d ran practically the whole way there, and that was  _ after _ giving a full performance on stage. The adrenaline had also started to wear off, leaving Ayumu drained, both physically and emotionally. 

A few minutes later, she heard footsteps running towards her. She looked up just in time to see Yuu come to a stop in front of her, out of breath and with her hands on her knees.

“I had… a feeling… you’d come here,” Yuu said between breaths. She straightened up and smiled at Ayumu, the same kind of smile that always left Ayumu’s heart beating faster.

“You? Came after me?” 

“Of course I did! Why wouldn’t I?”

“I… thought you’d want to stay and support the others…,” Ayumu said, looking down at the ground.

“You’re more important to me.”

Ayumu’s head shot back up and found that Yuu’s smile had become softer, gentler. Yuu held a hand out, and Ayumu stared at it briefly before taking it. Yuu pulled Ayumu to her feet, but with much more force than expected. She fell forward, right into the waiting arms of her oldest, most treasured friend. 

The two stood like that in silence for a few moments. Yuu gently rubbed Ayumu’s back, and Ayumu didn’t dare say anything. She didn’t want to break this moment. Finally, though, Yuu spoke up.

“How long have you wanted to tell me that?” she asked. 

“Since middle school graduation.”

“Wow…. Did you hide it really well, or did I just miss all the signs?”

Ayumu couldn’t hold back her laughter at the way Yuu said that. Yuu quickly joined in, and the two girls spent a long while consumed with giggles. When they finally regained their composure, Ayumu answered.

“I think you’re just a dummy. I thought I’d confessed the first time we were on these steps and I sang my heart out to you.”

“Oh…. Well, at least I finally understand. I’m sorry it took so long.”

“Are you going to make me wait even longer to hear your answer?” Ayumu said with a teasing smile, despite the fact that her heart was beating a mile a minute.

“Huh? Oh!” Yuu paused, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes as she exhaled, and there was that same soft, warm smile from earlier. “I love you too, Ayumu. We found our dreams together, and I want to keep chasing them together. And if we’re together, I know we can do anything!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't plan on having many confession chapters in this anthology (I want to showcase established dynamics more), but I knew during the planning phase that this would be one of them. I love the childhood friends trope, and I love confession scenes for childhood friends even more, so I had to do it myself.


	7. Ayumu/Setsuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ayumu teaches Setsuna how to knit.

Setsuna and Ayumu sat together on the couch in Ayumu’s living room, each with a pair of knitting needles in their hands. Setsuna had always been fascinated watching her girlfriend knit, and earlier that week, she had brought up the idea of Ayumu teaching her. She still remembered the gleam in Ayumu’s eyes when she asked. They had gone out to a yarn store after practice that same day to get Setsuna some starting supplies 

This was her first lesson, and they’d been going for a few hours already. Setsuna had finally gotten the hang of casting on, the process of getting loose yarn onto one of the needles. She held up her first fully completed row for Ayumu to see.

“Pomu, look! Look! I finished my first row!”

“That’s wonderful, Setsu!” Ayumu said, looking up from her own work. Setsuna couldn’t help but notice that her girlfriend was already well into a project, despite starting at the same time. “Now why don’t you undo it and try it again from the beginning.”

Some of Setsuna’s excitement deflated a little. “I thought I’d get to learn something new when I finished casting on.”

“I know it doesn’t sound fun, but it’s all about building muscle memory! It’s like dance practice. You have to build a solid foundation.”

“Right… of course.” Setsuna took a deep breath, and as she exhaled, she also tried to expel any negative thoughts. Just like anything else in life, learning to knit would take practice. As she continued to hype herself back up, Setsuna felt a soft, warm pressure against her cheek, accompanied by a little “chu.”

Heat rushed to her face, and she turned to watch her girlfriend pull back with a huge smile on her face.

“That was a reward for doing so well.”

Setsuna’s motivation increased dramatically for the rest of the evening.

Over the next several months, Setsuna continued to practice, both with and without Ayumu. Obviously, the times  _ with _ her girlfriend were better, but it wasn’t always possible. Still, she gradually improved. Her casting on became much smoother, and she learned the knit stitch—the building block and namesake of knitting. 

With the skills she had, Setsuna realized she had enough knowledge to make a simple scarf, and with Christmas in a few months, she decided to make one for Ayumu. What better gift than something handmade using the skills Ayumu had taught her? Whenever she had free time alone, she worked on the scarf—pink, of course. She had other practice patterns that she’d work on when Ayumu was around because she wanted the scarf to be a secret. 

The couple spent Christmas Eve together, and Setsuna gave her girlfriend the completed gift. There was only one small problem with it.

Setsuna hadn’t known when to stop.

By the time she’d realized her mistake, the scarf was already much too long, and she didn’t have time to make a new one. Thankfully, Ayumu was the sweetest, most caring girlfriend in the world, and she loved it anyway.

Ayumu used the extra length to wrap it around both of them. That alone made the mistake worth it.

Setsuna’s skill steadily increased throughout the next year. She got better at the pearl stitch, which unlocked a whole new range of patterns she could make. Even better, she learned how to knit in the round, and that gave her an idea for that year’s Christmas gift: a hat. And it would be the same color pink as the scarf.

Once again working in secret, Setsuna crafted Ayumu’s next gift. There was only one problem: She didn’t know how big Ayumu’s head was. Figuring that it was better to be too large than too small, she used her own head as a guide and added a little extra, just in case.

When Ayumu opened her gift and tried it on, the hat was, in fact, too big. 

“It’s ok, Setsu, I still love it,” Ayumu said, clearly trying to hold back giggles.

“First I make the scarf too long, now I make the hat too big,” Setsuna said, trying to hide the embarrassed blush.

“It’s not too big if I put it over my bun, too!” To demonstrate, Ayumu slid the hat further down her head and over her signature side bun. 

It worked, and it looked absolutely ridiculous. Both girls tried their hardest to not laugh, but eventually the laughter won. 

Over the next two years, a similar course of events took place: Setsuna would learn a new skill and attempt to use said skill to make her girlfriend a Christmas present. All of it was working towards an ultimate goal, one Setsuna knew would take years more practice to successfully achieve.

Ayumu was worth it, though.

On their third Christmas together—and their first out of high school—Setsuna made Ayumu a pair of pink socks. They matched the scarf and hat that Ayumu still wore sometimes, despite how much it pained Setsuna to look at them after improving so much. Sometimes Setsuna thought her girlfriend wore them for the express purpose of embarrassing her. 

All in all, the socks were pretty good. She’d been afraid of the heels at first, but she’d eventually gotten the hang of it. 

For Christmas number four, Setsuna made a pair of gloves. Or rather, fingerless gloves. Every attempt at closing off the fingers had ended… poorly, and in the end, she had to admit defeat. Thankfully, something that small and intricate was not necessary for her overall plan. The real pride point of the gloves was that she successfully used two different colors by using a Fair Isle technique. They were a base pink color that matched everything else, but they had a geometric pattern in white going around the wrists.

Every time she saw Ayumu wearing them—which was surprisingly often—she felt a little burst of pride. They were definitely her best work to date, and it gave her confidence to finally go all out for next Christmas.

She would make Ayumu a sweater. 

It took almost the entire year. It took countless failed starts, more than a few catastrophic mistakes, and more yarn than Setsuna wanted to think about. 

Ayumu was worth it, though.

The Christmas season rolled around again, their fifth one together as a couple. It was a special moment for Setsuna, and one of the reasons she had wanted the sweater to be perfect.

When Ayumu opened her present, her head shot up to look at Setsuna, and Setsuna could see tears in the corner of her girlfriend’s eyes.

“Setsu, is this? Did you…?”

“From the moment you taught me how to knit, I wanted to make you a sweater, but I knew I wasn’t good enough yet. I wanted it to be perfect because you deserve it. You’re worth it.” Setsuna let out a somewhat embarrassed laugh. “Plus, I wanted to make sure the sweater curse wouldn’t strike. But! I figured after five years of you making me the happiest person on Earth, I could finally do it.”

Ayumu looked back and forth between Setsuna and the sweater a few times before lunging forward and wrapping Setsuna in a giant hug.

“I love it. I love it so much. I can finally have the full set bonus when I wear all your gifts together. I’ll be fully protected from the cold by your love.”

In that moment, Setsuna knew she would marry this woman.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally I like these chapters to be hyper focused on a specific scene/point in time. As I was planning this one out, though, I knew that approach wouldn't be enough. So I went to the other extreme, lol. With SetsuAyu as my main Niji OTP, should it be any surprise I went a little over the top?


	8. Ai/Kanata

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ai and Kanata enjoy a day at the beach together.

Ai and Kanata sat together on the train leaving Tokyo. Kanata was fast asleep and using Ai’s shoulder as a pillow while Ai played a rhythm game on her phone. A few weeks ago, Ai had learned of an awesome new beach a few hours outside the city, and summer vacation had been right around the corner. The next day at school, she’d asked her girlfriend to go sometime during the break.

“But it’s so far,” Kanata had said, resting her head on Ai’s lap. Ai had idly played with her girlfriend’s hair. “If you just want to see me in a swimsuit, there are plenty of pools nearby.”

“It’s not just that,” Ai had said, blushing a little. “This is our first summer break together—and your last one in high school. Don’t you want to do something special for it?”

“Anything I do with Ai is special.”

Ai hadn’t been able to prevent the embarrassed giggles at that. “What if I told you there were big shady trees just off the beach and you could take a nap in a hammock?”

“I’m in.”

And that was how they found themselves on the train to the beach. 

About half an hour later, their train approached their station, and Ai woke her girlfriend up with a gentle nudge and a kiss to the head. Kanata stirred and lifted her head off Ai’s shoulder. Ai always loved the way Kanata looked right after waking up. Her half-lidded gaze and tiny smile were just so cute that Ai couldn’t stop her own smile from forming.

“Welcome back to the waking world, Kana-chan. We’re almost at the beach.”

That managed to wake Kanata up some more.

The couple got off the train and exited the station. A marvelous view of the ocean greeted them, and they looked at each other with barely contained excitement. 

“Oh, this is gonna be so fun!” Ai said, taking Kanata’s hand and leading her towards the beach. “We’re _shore_ to have a great time today!” Kanata just smiled and shook her head as Ai pulled her along.

Just as Ai had promised, the beach had a large section of trees just inland, and there were plenty of hammocks pre-setup for public use. They made a beeline for that area so they could claim one of the hammocks as their own for the day. There were a few extra-wide ones, and they managed to snag one, putting their bags and little cooler in it to mark it as theirs. 

Ai put on some sunscreen while Kanata inflated an innertube she’d brought. When she finished that up, she also put on sunscreen while Ai grabbed two water guns. Their preparation finally done, the two headed to the beach proper and got in the water.

It was still early summer, so the ocean was still a bit on the cool side. Neither cared, though, since it was such a hot day. They spent a solid hour just swimming and playing in the water. Eventually, Kanata actually got on the innertube she had and tried to take a nap. Ai was having none of that, though. Every time Kanata closed her eyes, Ai would squirt her with a water gun. Kanata would retaliate and chase Ai off with her own water gun. 

This cycle went on for a while, and Ai had the time of her life. She always tried to approach from a different angle, but Kanata seemed to have a sixth sense about when her nap would be interrupted. More often than not, she’d turn and catch Ai right as she got in range and soak her first.

Finally, Ai knew she needed a different approach. She watched her girlfriend close her eyes yet again, but this time, Ai dove under the water and tried to get closer that way. She stealthily swam closer, and Kanata made no indication that she knew Ai was there. In fact, Ai swam directly underneath the other girl’s innertube. With a mischievous smile, she poked her girlfriend’s butt.

Kanata’s reaction was everything Ai hoped it’d be. She jumped so hard that she toppled out of the tube and into the water. Meanwhile, Ai surfaced and laughed uncontrollably. When Kanata came back up, sputtering water, she turned to face Ai with a mischievous smile of her own.

The two spent the next half hour play-fighting in the water.

Eventually, though, even their idol stamina wore out. As the two left the water and headed back to their hammock, Kanata stopped and bent down to grab something in the sand. She came back up holding a rather large, yet perfectly intact shell.

“Look what I found,” Kanta said, holding it out for Ai to look at. “This should make a good souvenir for Haruka.”

“What a great find, Kana-chan!” Ai said, leaning in to look at it from every possible angle. “I’m sure Haruka will love it! I’d say this find is cause for a shell-ebration.” Ai’s face split into a big grin, and Kanata rolled her eyes.

“As _pun-_ ishment for that, you’re taking a nap with me in the hammock.”

Ai just laughed as her girlfriend led her back to their stuff. The two settled into the hammock, and Kanata wasted no time curling up against Ai, using her chest as a pillow. Ai wrapped an arm around her girlfriend and reveled in her closeness.

She closed her eyes, letting herself fully relax after a long day playing in the ocean.

“I had fun today,” Kanata said after a few minutes. She hugged Ai a little tighter. “Thanks for bringing me here.”

“I’m just happy you played around on the beach with me! That’s a special kind of fun we don’t get to have very often.”

“I’m happy you’re napping with me now.” Kanata snuggled even closer.

“Napping with you is fun, too,” Ai said, playing with her girlfriend’s gorgeous hair. “I always have fun when I’m with you, no matter what we’re doing. It’s one of the reasons I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. You have some of my favorite pillows.”

Ai couldn’t fight the blush that erupted on her cheeks, and even though her eyes were closed, Kanata laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday, Kanata! I got this posted while it's still the 16th where I am, so it counts. I'll freely admit, this is my first time ever writing Kanata, and it was hard. I still don't think I have a great grasp on her character, but hopefully that'll change as she appears more in this anthology. One of my goals in writing this whole thing was to get better at writing all of the Niji girls, and Kanata has been my first real test.


	9. Emma/Yuu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuu and Emma talk about idols and chasing their dreams.

Yuu and Emma sat together in the club room doing homework. It was a habit they’d gotten into ever since they started dating as a way to spend more time together. Even if they were doing homework, at least being around each other made it more bearable. For Yuu, Emma served as motivation to actually do her assignments sooner than the day before they were due. Emma, meanwhile, not-so-secretly enjoyed having someone around to check her kanji.

Eventually, Yuu shut her notebook, leaned back, and sighed. She was done. The sweet relief of completing her homework flooded through her, and she took a few moments to bask in it. When she straightened up, she saw Emma still hard at work. The light coming through the big windows in the clubroom made her freckles really stand out, and Yuu smiled to herself at how cute her girlfriend was. 

On an impulse, Yuu got out of her chair and walked over behind Emma. Emma didn’t seem to notice. Still smiling to herself, Yuu leaned down and draped her arms over Emma’s shoulders, giving her girlfriend a lazy hug from behind. 

“Whatcha working on, Emma?” Yuu asked, peeking down at the other girl’s notebook. A whole plethora of kanji were written out in Emma’s neat handwriting.

“What else but kanji,” Emma said with a small, self-deprecating chuckle. “I can speak and understand the language just fine, but reading is a whole different story. Even after a few years of studying—and now living here—I’m still barely at a middle school reading level.” She took a deep breath and let it out with a huff. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to complain like that.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Yuu hugged Emma tighter. “We’ve all had the benefit of growing up here. And think of it this way: In only a few years, you’ve gotten to a point that it took the rest of us until middle school to reach! That’s pretty impressive if you ask me.”

Emma put her pencil down and hugged Yuu’s arms. “Thank you,  _ cuore mio. _ Somehow you always know just what to say to make me feel better.”

“Heh, I don’t know about that, but it makes me happy to hear you say it. So how’s this particular assignment coming?”

“Almost done!” she said, picking her pencil back up and resuming. “Once I’m done, I wanted to ask you an idol question.”

Yuu’s eyes lit up as she kissed the top of Emma’s head, let her go, and took the seat next to her. “You know I’m always ready to talk idols!” 

Both girls laughed, then Yuu let Emma get to work. While she waited, she pulled out her phone and browsed through a few idol forums, since the topic was on her mind. Thankfully, Emma had been telling the truth because after just five minutes, Yuu heard Emma put her pencil down again. Looking up from her phone, she saw Emma stretch her arms above her head and make a cute little noise. 

“Congrats on finishing.”

“Thank you! I’m glad it didn’t take long.” Emma paused for a moment and smiled. “Now, since I know you’ve been waiting, let’s talk idols. Did you see the video of Shukashu’s live show last night?”

Yuu’s whole demeanor lit up, and Emma’s smile widened at how excited her girlfriend always got over idols.

“Of course I did!” Yuu said, leaning in closer. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe how many new songs she performed! She’s gotta have a new album coming out soon, I just know it!”

“It was so exciting, wasn’t it!” Emma said, also leaning in close. Their shared love of idols and the excited conversations they had about them always made her so happy. “I can’t wait to hear the album versions.”

“Which of the new songs was your favorite?”

“Hmm… that’s a tough one.” Emma leaned back in her chair and put a finger to her chin. “I think… I think it was ‘Soap Bubbles.’ It’s such a bittersweet song, and her voice is so beautiful, I found myself getting really emotional listening to it.”

“Oh, that song is so good! Honestly, it kind of reminded me of some of your songs. Maybe a little sadder, but ultimately telling you it’s okay to feel what you’re feeling and to enjoy it. It’s healing in a different way.”

Emma’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t even thought of it that way. But it makes me happy to hear you say that! Which song was your favorite?”

“I think it’s gotta be ‘Zenshin Zenrei’ for me. It’s so bright and optimistic about chasing your dreams.” Once again, Yuu’s eyes lit up a little.

“I’m not surprised you liked that one. Shukashu might as well have been singing about you.”

Yuu blushed at the praise, and Emma laughed at how cute she looked.

“N-no, I haven’t been doing anything that important.”

“It’s been important to me,” Emma said without hesitation. Yuu’s eyes widened as Emma continued. “You found a dream and immediately devoted your all to it. And you pulled all of us along with you. If you hadn’t gone ‘full throttle,’ who knows what might have happened to the club. Maybe I never would have gotten to live my dream of becoming a school idol.” She hesitated for a moment, a blush quickly coloring her cheeks. “Maybe I never would have met the person I love….”

“Emma….”

Emma reached out and grabbed Yuu’s hands. She raised them up and gave each hand a soft kiss. “I told you my dreams would come true as long as you’re next to me. It’s because I see how hard you chase your own.”

Without giving it another thought, Yuu leaned in and kissed her girlfriend. 

“Then let’s continue to chase our dreams. Together, side by side.”

Emma giggled before stealing a quick kiss of her own. When she pulled back, she dazzled Yuu with one of the most brilliant smiles her girlfriend had ever seen.

“And that’s why you’re  _ cuore mio. _ My heart.”


	10. Ayumu/Shioriko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shioriko asks Ayumu to help with her volunteer work. They both end up getting more than they bargained for.

Shioriko walked through the halls of Nijigasaki High School, only half paying attention to where she was actually going. She had received some troubling news, and the timing of it all required that she find a solution quickly. As she pondered various courses of action, a familiar head of reddish-pink hair came into view. A possible solution had presented itself.

“Ah, Ayumu-san, just who I was looking for,” Shioriko said, approaching the other girl with a small smile. “I was wondering if I could request a favor of you.”

Ayumu’s face lit up. “Of course, Shioriko-chan! Though how many times do I have to tell you to just call me ‘Ayumu?’ Or at the very least ‘Ayumu-chan.’ We’ve been dating for a few months already!”

Shioriko’s face lit up with a light blush at how casually Ayumu could talk about their relationship in public.

“My apologies, Ayumu-sa—chan.”

This time, Ayumu’s smile lit up the entire hallway.

“That’s better,” she said. “So what did you need, Shioriko-chan?”

“I was hoping you might accompany me to my volunteering duties on Sunday. The other volunteer who usually assists me had to cancel.”

“Why Shio-chan, are you asking me out on a date?” Ayumu asked, her voice so innocent, yet her smile so teasing.

Her words had the intended effect, and Shioriko nearly tripped over her own feet, all while blushing even harder than before. The blush only grew as she realized Ayumu had grabbed her forearm to keep her upright. She cleared her throat in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

“I suppose if you would like to think of it as such, I would not be against it. Though please keep in mind that our primary responsibility will be the volunteer work.”

“Don’t worry, I cherish any time we spend together, no matter what we’re doing.” Ayumu smiled another one of her blindingly pure smiles, and Shioriko couldn’t help but return a smile of her own.

“It makes me happy to hear you say that. And… once our volunteering duties are completed… I would not be opposed to continuing our date in a more traditional fashion. Perhaps we could return to my home and spend time together with just us.” Shioriko couldn’t help the blush as she considered how many ways such an invitation could be taken.

“That sounds lovely, Shio-chan!” A light blush also rose on Ayumu’s face, but her expression showed no signs of embarrassment. “I can’t wait for Sunday, now!”

Thankfully for both of them, the rest of the week went quickly, and Sunday arrived in no time. Upon arriving at the playground where she volunteered, Shioriko found the adult in charge and informed her that the normal volunteer couldn’t make it and that Ayumu would fill in.

“Oh my, I finally get to meet  _ the _ Ayumu-san?” the older woman asked, smiling slightly.

“I am unsure what you mean by that,” Shioriko said, cocking her head.

“Shioriko-chan, every time we talk about how you’ve been, she always comes up. She must be important to you.”

Shioriko blushed. “Ah— I suppose I had neglected to mention that Ayumu-chan is my… my girlfriend.”

The caretaker’s smile grew larger. “That’s wonderful! She sounds like a fine young woman, and I’m excited to finally meet her.”

Ayumu showed up shortly after, and much to Shioriko’s gratitude, the caretaker didn’t embarrass her  _ too _ much. There wasn’t much time to, as the children began arriving and everyone got to work.

Sadly, due to the ratio of children to volunteers, Shioriko and Ayumu rarely got to spend actual time together. They each had their own group of children to attend to, and it took all of their effort to keep them entertained in a healthy, constructive manner. Ayumu had opted to spend time with the younger grade-school children while Shioriko took the older children.

Shioriko made sure to glance over towards Ayumu every now and then to see how she was doing. She was the one who had asked Ayumu to fill in, so she felt responsible for keeping an eye on her. Thankfully, her girlfriend seemed to have a way with small children, and she looked completely at ease every time Shioriko looked over. That always brought a smile to Shioriko’s face.

At one point, one of the older children came up and tugged on Shioriko’s sleeve as she made her periodic glance towards Ayumu. She looked back at the boy with a questioning expression.

“Shio-nee, is Ayu-nee your girlfriend?”

Shioriko almost choked on air at how unexpected the question was. After a few coughs and deep breaths to regain her composure, she looked back at the boy.

“W-what makes you think that?”

“You keep looking over at her the same way my mom looks at my dad when he’s not paying attention, and they love each other, so I thought maybe you loved her. And she does the same thing when you’re not paying attention, so I thought maybe she loved you too.”

Shioriko blushed, and she opened her mouth to answer a few times before promptly closing it every time. Her immediate reaction had been to deny or deflect, since it really was none of his business. However, she knew that lying to children only hindered their social development, and the boy had clearly thought this all out—in his own childlike way. She looked over at Ayumu again and smiled before turning back to the boy, smile still in place.

“Yes, she is my girlfriend, and I love her very much.”

The boy returned her smile. Then he ran off towards Ayumu’s group, and his voice cut above the general background conversation.

“Natsuki! Natsuki! I was right! Ayu-nee and Shio-nee are dating!”

Shioriko’s face turned beet red, and looking across the room, she saw Ayumu also blushing. Almost immediately the two groups merged, practically pushing Shioriko and Ayumu together. The children bombarded them with questions, things like “how did they meet” and “who asked whom out” and other such things. The fact that Ayumu answered each one without hesitation only served to increase the blush on Shioriko’s face. 

“When you two get married, who’ll be the husband and who’ll be the wife?” one of the children called out. Somehow, Shioriko felt her face grow even hotter. Marriage? They were in high school! Surely Ayumu would use this as a chance to teach the children an important lesson about— 

“That’s silly, we’d both be wives!”

Shioriko’s legs gave out, and Ayumu barely caught her before she hit the floor. 

“Ok kids, why don’t you all go play with one of the other volunteers for a little,” Ayumu said. “I think Shio-nee here didn’t get enough sleep last night and needs a little rest.”

The children accepted that at face value, giving Ayumu and Shioriko their first time alone together all day. Shioriko’s brain finished rebooting and she regained the use of her legs. 

“I’m sorry, Shio-chan,” Ayumu said, leading Shioriko over to a bench to sit down. “I was just playing along with the kids, but the marriage comment clearly went somewhere you weren’t comfortable with.”

“It is quite alright, Ayumu-chan,” Shioriko said after a few deep breaths to regain her composure. “While any talk of marriage is certainly much too premature, it is my hope that one day our relationship reaches a point where such a conversation becomes appropriate.”

Ayumu’s eyes widened. “Do… do you really mean that?”

Shioriko slowly reached out, took Ayumu’s hand, and brought it close to her mouth.

“I really mean that.” She whispered the promise against her girlfriend’s skin and sealed it with a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with Shioriko's first appearance, every girl has now had at least one chapter! I was originally bullied by my friends into including Shioriko right out the gate, but I honestly had a lot of fun writing from her POV! Normally, this story won't use honorifics like "-san" and "-chan," but it felt appropriate for Shio's perspective. She has that added layer formality that's hard to express without the honorifics, so they'll probably show up in all of her chapters.


	11. Kasumi/Rina

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kasumi and Rina go on a nice arcade date.

Rina and Kasumi sat in the clubroom together before practice. They’d gotten there first and were now using their time to no-so-discreetly hold hands under the table. It wasn’t like the rest of the club didn’t know those two were dating, but it was still pretty new for both of them. Kasumi liked to say that Rina was uncomfortable with public displays of affection, but Rina kind of liked it. She knew her cute Kasumin got embarrassed easily when it came to her true feelings, though, so she let Kasumi say that anyway. 

“Hey, Kasumin, are you busy after practice today?” Rina asked, giving her girlfriend’s hand a little squeeze.

“Nope!” Kasumi gave her a teasing smile. “Why? Does Rinako want to spend time with the world’s number one cutest girlfriend?”

Rina nodded. “Mhm, I kind of wanted to go to the arcade.” She paused and grabbed her board, flipping to an embarrassed face. “I thought we could make it a date. Rina-chan board says: ‘blushy blushy’.”

Kasumi’s eyes widened, and she looked away as a light blush dusted her cheeks. Secretly, one of Rina’s favorite things in the world was calling her girlfriend’s bluffs. She always had such cute reactions, and Rina wanted to see all the different ones Kasumi had.

“I haven’t been to an arcade in a while, but I guess it sounds like fun.”

Rina flipped to an unamused face. “You’re not fooling anyone with that.”

Kasumi pouted. “Fine, if you’re gonna make me say it, Kasumin would love to go on a date with her Rinako, no matter where it is.”

Her girlfriend’s sudden honesty took Rina off guard, and she quickly flipped to the flustered face on her board. Before she could say anything, though, Yuu, Ayumu, and Setsuna showed up. Kasumi let go of Rina’s hand under the table, and they both greeted their senpais. Everyone else arrived shortly after, and practice began in earnest.

Practice went by without much fuss. It was mostly breath and voice control led by Shizuku, so nothing particularly taxing. When it ended a few hours later and everyone was leaving, Rina took Kasumi’s hand as they walked. She didn’t care who saw, and the blush on Kasumi’s face made it all the better.

The walk to the arcade was relatively short, and the weather was perfect for it. Kasumi filled most of the silence like she usually did, and Rina would chime in when she thought of something to contribute. More importantly to Rina, though, was that they held hands the entire time. Kasumi’s hands were always so warm and soft, and Rina found that she could often convey her feelings easier with little squeezes than she could with her words or expressions.

When they got to the arcade, Rina asked Kasumi if there was anything she felt like playing. Kasumi scanned the area a little until her expression lit up.

“Kasumin wants to show everyone what a fantastic dancer she is!” she said, pointing towards the DDR machines. “We didn’t do any at practice today, but I’ve really felt like dancing today.”

Rina flipped to her standard happy face and held it up. “Sure, that sounds fun. Rina-chan board says: ‘excited’!”

With a real, genuine smile and their hands still together, Kasumi practically dragged Rina over to that area of the arcade. Kasumi immediately wanted to pick the hardest song on the hardest difficulty to show off, but Rina convinced her to start with something a little easier to warm up.

The first song was a ton of fun, and Rina had an absolute blast. It was the first time she’d played DDR since joining the School Idol Club and doing actual dance practice, and it made so much difference. Her coordination and stamina had improved by leaps and bounds, and she set a new personal high score without breaking a sweat. When the song ended, she looked over at Kasumi and saw her girlfriend positively beaming at her.

“Oh Rinako, that was so much fun! You’re having fun, too, right?”

Unfortunately, Rina’s board was too far out of reach to easily grab, so she had to settle for nodding with her blank expression. “Yeah, it was a lot of fun.”

“Okay, good! I kind of thought so, but I wanted to make extra sure. Do you want to try a harder song this time?”

Rina thought about it for a moment and realized there was something else she’d rather do. She stepped off the machine and picked up her board. “Actually, I wanted to watch Kasumin dance this time. Rina-chan board says: ‘faito’!”

Kasumi’s eyes widened a little, and a faint blush rose on her cheeks. She smiled, though, and did her signature idol pose. “Then Kasumin will give her number one fan a private show!”

She turned back to the game and selected the hardest song on the hardest difficulty. After a few deep breaths, she hit start. Almost immediately, a barrage of arrows rose from the bottom of the screen. Rina was no slouch when it came to rhythm games, but hers tended to be more hand and finger based, rather than whole body like DDR. Even with her new idol skills, she didn’t think she’d be able to keep up with it.

Kasumi, though… it almost took Rina’s breath away how smoothly and easily Kasumi moved. Sure, she missed a few notes here and there, but the speed, the precision, the  _ grace _ with which she moved was stunning. It was mesmerizing, and Rina couldn’t look away. And throughout it all, Kasumi sported the most beautiful, blindingly brilliant smile, and Rina couldn’t look away.

When the song ended, Kasumi turned to look at Rina, breathing heavily, but still with that same smile. After a moment, though, her eyes widened a little bit.

“Rinako? Is something wrong?”

Rina’s heart beat a little faster, and she quickly covered her face with her board, showing an embarrassed, flustered expression. “N-no, nothing’s wrong. Why?”

“Oh, well…,” Kasumi trailed off, now looking a little embarrassed, herself. “I just noticed your eyes were a little wider than normal and your mouth was open just a little bit. I’d never seen a reaction like that from you, so I thought maybe something was wrong. But I’m glad everything’s okay."

Rina felt her face get a little warm, and she quickly flipped the board to her super embarrassed expression. “Oh. I just, um… thought you looked super pretty when you were dancing, and I also thought….” Rina swallowed back a sudden feeling of anxiety. “I also thought I really love you.”

Silence surrounded them in the middle of the boisterous arcade. That word hung in the air between them; neither of them had said it before, and now Rina worried she’d jumped the gun. She closed her eyes, for the first time really trying to hide behind her board.

Then she felt arms wrap around her and pull her into a tight hug. 

“I love you, too, Rinako. This date has barely just started, and it’s already the best one so far.”

Rina dropped her board and hugged back, burying her face in Kasumi’s shoulder to hide the tiny smile that had formed. 


	12. Ai/Karin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In trying to come up with a second DiverDiva song, Ai and Karin clear up a very important misunderstanding.

Practice had ended for the day, and as the others began to file out, Ai and Karin remained seated at the table together. They sat hunched over a notebook, trying to think of a topic for their second subunit song.

“Are you two staying behind again?” Yuu asked from the doorway.

“Yep, we need more DiverDiva practice,” Ai said, looking up from the blank page.

Kasumi, who stood next to Yuu in the door, let out a teasing laugh. “So where are you going for today’s date, then?”

“Not sure, yet,” she said, absentmindedly. Karin sighed, and Ai could also clearly hear the eye-roll that accompanied it. Kasumi snickered again, and only then did Ai realize what she’d implied. A light blush dusted her cheeks, and she buried her face further into the notebook.

“You know we still need an idea for our second song,” Karin said. “We’re just trying to find inspiration at various places. It already worked for _SUPER NOVA,_ so it’s bound to work again.”

“Uh huh, sure, senpai.” Kasumi winked at them and left the room. Yuu gave them a shrug at Kasumi’s antics before waving goodbye and also leaving.

The word “date” still rattled around inside Ai’s head. How she wished that’s what the past week had been. Like Karin had said, the two of them had been going to various places together, looking for inspiration for their second song as a subunit. It had been Karin’s idea, originally. She’d mentioned how Emma’s latest song had been borne out of a similar series of outings the two had shared.

Ai had agreed enthusiastically. At the very least, she’d get to go to some cool places! Their very first outing had been to a science center with a planetarium. The show about kinds of stars had been so cool, and they both came out wanting to do a song with a space theme—hence _SUPER NOVA._

After such a great success on their first outing, they tried to replicate it by going to more places every day after club practice. They went to a history museum, an outdoor play Shizuku had recommended, an art gallery… heck, they even just went clothes shopping one day. None of it clicked as far as song writing, though.

Something else clicked, though, at least for Ai. She’d had so much fun spending all that time with Karin that after a few days, she… well, she may have gotten just a little bit of a crush on her unit-mate. She knew that Karin was with Emma, though—well, she didn’t _know_ know, but she figured that was the case with how close they were. 

So she resigned herself to keeping quiet and pining from afar until the crush went away. Hopefully it didn’t take long.

Karin sighed, pulling Ai back into the present. “Now that we’re alone, we can actually get to work. Were you able to think of anything after our shopping trip?”

Ai laughed a little. “For a song? No. For outfits? Absolutely.” Karin raised an eyebrow, so Ai continued. “Well it’s gotta be something sexy, right? I mean look at us.” She tried her best to laugh and make it sound like a joke, but she still felt a little heat on her cheeks. Karin smiled and looked down a little.

“While I absolutely agree, surely there’s more to your idea than just ‘sexy,’ right?”

Ai’s blush intensified at the implicit compliment. “Well, you’re so cool and mature, and I’m so fiery and outgoing, and our first song is a space theme, so I thought our outfits could be sort of sun and moon themed. I think it’d be pretty _stellar_ if I do say so myself.”

Karin sighed but couldn’t hide the smile on her face. “I think it’s a wonderful idea, and we can think more about it after we get this second song.” She paused, and Ai couldn’t help but notice that she chewed her lip a little in thought. It was really cute and a far cry from the cool and confident airs she normally put on. “Maybe we need to try a different approach.”

“How so?”

“Maybe instead of finding inspiration from something external, we use ourselves. Like something from our personal lives.”

“Oh, I get you.” Ai put a finger to her cheek in thought. Maybe this could? Be her chance to know for sure about Karin and Emma? If she heard Karin admit to it, maybe the crush would go away sooner. “What about love? That’s classic idol song stuff! Is there anyone you love, Karin?”

Karin’s eyes widened, and Ai thought she saw the barest hint of a blush on her perfect skin. The older girl looked down and away, biting her lip and occasionally stealing glances back at Ai. 

“I, um… wouldn’t exactly call it ‘love.’ A crush might be more accurate.”

It was Ai’s turn for her eyes to widen. “Wait, I thought you were dating Emmacchi!” she said before quickly slapping one hand over her mouth. Karin, meanwhile, turned back towards Ai, brows furrowed a little.

“Emma? No, we’re best friends, but we’re not dating.”

“Oh….” 

Ai’s mind went into overdrive, and her heart sped up to match. If Karin and Emma weren’t dating, then…? Could Ai…? No, Karin still had a crush on someone. But maybe if Ai confessed, Karin might still say yes, anyway? Agh, screw it, sometimes you just had to go for it.

She tried to give Karin a suave smile. “Then do you wanna date me?”

Karin’s jaw dropped, which didn’t seem like a good sign. Still, Ai kept the same expression. After a few rapid blinks, Karin broke the short silence.

“Wait, I thought you were dating Rina.”

This time Ai furrowed her brows. “Rinari? No, we’re best friends, but we’re not dating.”

“Oh….”

A silence hung between them for a few moments before Karin burst out laughing. A blush rose on Ai’s cheeks, and she pouted to try to cover up the embarrassment. 

“You could just say no…. You don’t have to laugh at me.” 

“No, you don’t understand,” Karin said between laughs. “You’re who I was talking about when you asked me about love.” 

Ai stared off into the distance for a moment, trying to wrap her head around everything. “You mean… I had a crush on you but thought you were dating Emmacchi… and you had a crush on me but thought I was dating Rinari?”

Karin, who had just regained her composure, burst out laughing again. This time, Ai couldn’t help but join in. The two laughed together for a solid minute without stopping, and Ai’s stomach hurt by the end of it. It was just so… ridiculous. Towards the end, Ai felt Karin put a hand over her own, and it felt really good. Comfortable.

Finally, they regained their composures, and Ai wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

“I guess Kasukasu had it right after all, huh? We really have been going on dates without even realizing it.” 

“I suppose so. Though I’m looking forward to our first real date as actual girlfriends.”

Girlfriends… the thought alone made Ai so happy, and she smiled the biggest smile of her whole life. 

A few days later, they had their second song: _Love Triangle_ —an in-joke between the two of them about the misunderstanding that almost kept them apart. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This wasn't originally gonna be a confession fic. Originally they were already dating and had Love Triangle written, and they were going on dates for inspiration, eventually going to a planetarium for SUPER NOVA. Then I realized I could flip that order of events and make a cute confession fic. So I did, lol.


	13. Karin/Shioriko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin needs to take some measurements for Shioriko's first Live outfit.

Practice ended for the School Idol Club, and Shioriko went over to get a drink from her water bottle. She was a little out of breath, more so than she would have preferred considering her first appearance in a Live was coming up fast. The others were all doing their best to get her up to speed, and she did not want to make their efforts go to waste. While taking a drink, she saw Karin approach out of the corner of her eye. She stepped with a purpose, and that immediately caught Shioriko’s attention.

“Hello, Karin-san, thank you for all of your help today,” Shioriko said after lowering her water bottle. 

“It was my pleasure as always, Shioriko-chan.” Karin smiled, and the sight still left Shioriko a little weak at the knees, even after a few weeks. “You’ve shown remarkable improvement in a fairly short time. I’m impressed.”

Shioriko blushed faintly at the praise, something she never would have done before they started going out. Praise never bothered her coming from most people, but apparently when it came from her girlfriend, she was hopeless.

“You flatter me. I would not have made such improvements without everyone’s generous assistance.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Did you need something of me? You seemed to have a purpose as you approached, and I doubt it was simply mild flirtation.”

That earned a chuckle from Karin, and Shioriko decided she rather enjoyed the sound.

“The Costumes and Accessories Club is about ready to start on your Live outfit, so they need your measurements.”

“Alright, I shall provide them my three measurements—along with my height—tomorrow after school.”

Karin shook her head. “That won’t be enough. This is a custom tailored outfit just for you, so they need much more detail than that. I know how intrusive it can feel getting your measurements taken by a stranger, so I told them I’d get them from you. I hope that’s okay.”

Another faint blush colored Shioriko’s cheeks. Truth be told, she likely would have preferred the impartialness of a stranger to collect her measurements. Having her relatively-new girlfriend that close and around such… intimate areas was… embarrassing. But if Karin had already promised the Costumes Club, then Shioriko could do nothing but agree.

“A-Alright, I suppose that makes sense. When would you like to obtain these measurements?”

"I figured we could go now? My friend in the Costumes Club said they’d have a free fitting room ready for us.”

Shioriko’s heart sped up a little, but again, she agreed. The two made their way to the other club room, and thankfully no one else was there. Karin grabbed a flexible measuring tape and a notebook before the two headed into one of the fitting rooms. Shioriko was nervous, but she tried not to show it. That’d make this whole situation even more embarrassing.

Karin started with the typical baseline measurements, muttering to herself and noting each in the notebook as she did so. “Bust… 79, waist… 56, hips… 78. And height… 160.”

Shioriko was certain she was blushing at that point. She knew she didn’t have the most… curvaceous figure, and having her _very_ curvaceous girlfriend measuring that for herself made her want to shrivel up and perish. 

“You have such a wonderful, lithe figure, Shio-chan,” Karin said as she took some of the more detailed measurements like shoulder and ‘front waist length.’ “And fairly tall, too. I know models who would kill to have your measurements.”

Her blush exploded at receiving such… intimate praise.

“S-Surely you jest, Karin-san. I am sure a figure such as yours would truly be the envy of your peers.”

Karin smiled and laughed under her breath. “There certainly are some, yes, but not all. At the end of the day, though, every body is beautiful—especially with the right outfit to show it off. And now that I’ve got these measurements, you’ll be sure to have an outfit that makes you positively radiant.”

Shioriko could only smile at the sincerity in Karin’s voice.

A few weeks passed, and the live show drew closer. She gave it her all during practice, and her improvement was significant—at least in her mind. Sadly, that meant having to stay late to ensure her student council work also got completed. She didn’t particularly mind, though, especially since Karin had seemed particularly busy after practice, so they didn’t get to spend as much time together like they normally would. 

With just a week left before the Live, Karin once again approached Shioriko after practice. After her usual mild flirting, she got to the point.

“Your outfit is finally done, so it’s time for fittings. Are you free right now?”

Excitement grew in her chest, and she nodded. Karin smiled at her eagerness, and the two once again made their way to the Costumes Clubroom. As soon as they entered, Shioriko immediately noticed what sat at the center of the room.

On a dress form was an absolutely _gorgeous_ white dress. The collar and sleeves were trimmed with a deep blue, and there was a lotus flower in the same color, trimmed in gold, on the chest. The bottom half had an elegant gold trim pattern, and the entire thing was tied together—literally—by a simply beautiful deep blue obi. Oh, and how could she forget the long, flowing forearm sleeves that would swish and swirl along with her dance moves?

The sight stopped Shioriko in her tracks, and she could only stare at the outfit in amazement. She felt an arm wrap around her shoulder, and she idly wrapped her own around Karin’s waist.

“This looks… incredible, Karin-san,” Shioriko finally said after a few moments to collect her thoughts.

“Thank you very much, Shio-chan. I was quite happy with how it turned out.”

The amazed stare quickly shifted to Karin. “You mean… you made this?”

Karin smiled back, the faintest blush dusting her cheeks. “I wanted to make sure everyone else could see just how radiant you are… the way I do every time I look at you.”

The words shook Shioriko to her core, and in a rare showing, she acted completely on impulse. She got up on her tiptoes and kissed Karin lightly on the cheek. It was the first time she had ever initiated such a thing. When she pulled away, both of them were blushing like mad.

“Thank you, Karin-chan. I love it.”


	14. Ayumu/Karin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin and Ayumu exchange Valentine's chocolate.

Karin sat at her desk, staring at the gift-wrapped box in front of her. It was pink, shaped like a heart, and had an adorable white bow on it. It was Valentine’s chocolate.  _ Very good _ chocolate, at that—one of the best name brands she could find. 

This would be the first time Karin had ever given  _ honmei choco _ instead of  _ tomo choco, _ and it kind of scared her, for some reason. She’d never had a girlfriend before, despite what some people may think. She had always kept part of herself… separate, too afraid to commit to someone in that way. Then Ayumu had come along. 

Karin couldn’t help but smile at the thought of her girlfriend. From the first time she had caught Ayumu practicing the “Ayu-pyon,” something about the second-year had endeared her to Karin. Maybe it was her sincerity. Karin always felt like she had to wear masks for people, so seeing Ayumu be unashamedly  _ herself _ struck a chord. 

Truth be told, the box had been one of the driving factors in Karin’s decision on which one to buy. It was incredibly cute and reminded her of Ayumu. She did feel a little bad, though. She’d wanted to try making her own chocolates, but Valentine’s was a busy time for models. There was just never enough time. So she used that extra money to spoil her girlfriend.

Hopefully Ayumu liked it….

When Valentine’s Day finally rolled around, Karin made a beeline for Ayumu’s locker before classes started. She wanted to give her chocolates as soon as possible. Thankfully, Ayumu had just gotten there, and double thankfully, Yuu wasn’t with her. Karin might have died of embarrassment if Yuu had been there to watch. 

Ayumu closed her locker and turned around just in time to see Karin cover the last remaining feet between them. The smile that formed on her face immediately sent Karin’s heart into doing flips. How could a simple smile affect her like that?

“Karin! Happy Valentine’s Day!”

Karin returned the smile, but didn’t return the words yet; she’d gotten an idea and really wanted to follow through on it. So instead, she kept walking, closing the short distance between them. Ayumu’s eyes widened a little as Karin entered her personal space, and she backed up until she hit the lockers behind her. With nowhere to go, she simply stood there as Karin stopped just shy of pressing their bodies together.

Reaching out her left hand, Karin brushed her thumb against Ayumu’s bottom lip before gently lifting her girlfriend’s chin. The blush that erupted on Ayumu’s face was everything Karin had hoped it would be. Her smile took on a slightly teasing glint.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Ayumu,” she whispered against her girlfriend’s lips. “Hold out your hand; I want to give you something.”

Ayumu complied, still blushing like mad, and Karin placed the box of chocolates in her hand. Then she pulled back, dropping the cool, sexy act and giving Ayumu a more genuine smile.

“I hope you like them. It’s a great brand, and the box was cute and reminded me of you.”

Her girlfriend looked at the box and gasped. “Karin! This looks incredible!” She looked back up at Karin and smiled that same gorgeous smile. “Thank you so much! I’m sure they taste delicious.”

Then she paused and glanced away as another light blush dusted her cheeks. 

“I, um, I got you some chocolates, too,” she said, reaching into her school bag and pulling out a smaller bag. 

This time it was Karin’s turn to widen her eyes in surprise. For some reason, the thought of Ayumu also getting her chocolates had never entered her mind. She opened the bag and took a piece out, gasping as soon as she saw what it was. 

It was a little chocolate panda! And with the way it was packaged—namely, not at all—Karin instantly knew these were homemade. Ayumu had made little choco pandas just for her. The absolute sincerity of it almost overwhelmed her, and she covered her mouth with her free hand, trying to contain the sudden rush of emotions.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you fancy brand name chocolates,” Ayumu muttered, barely loud enough for Karin to hear. Karin’s head shot up, only to find her girlfriend looking down at her feet. Karin once again lifted her girlfriend’s chin. Only this time, it was a motion meant to comfort not tease. Ayumu’s eyes were wide and full of vulnerability.

“You have nothing to apologize for, my dear,” Karin said, trying her best to sound comforting. “This is… this is the best Valentine’s gift I could have ever gotten. I’ve always wanted to receive homemade chocolates from someone special to me, and you went the extra mile and made them look like my favorite animal. That means so much more to me than something fancy from a store. I really wanted to do the same for you, but I’ve just been so busy….”

Ayumu shook her head, a small smile now on her face. “No, see, I’ve… sort of always wanted to get fancy chocolates like this.” A blush dusted her cheeks. “I know it’s selfish, but I wanted someone to spoil me a little.”

Karin couldn’t help but chuckle. With her girlfriend’s chin still in her hand, she leaned down until their foreheads touched and their lips were only millimeters apart. She felt Ayumu’s breath hitch at the sudden proximity.

“If you’d like to be spoiled, my dear, I’m happy to oblige.”

Ayumu closed the distance and pressed their lips together into a soft, slow kiss. The sudden action took Karin completely off guard, and her stomach fluttered at Ayumu taking the initiative. It didn’t last long, but when Ayumu pulled back, Karin knew she had an incredulous look on her face, and she could feel warmth on her cheeks. This time it was Ayumu’s turn to smirk.

“I think I’ll take you up on that after school.” While Karin tried to get her brain to work again, Ayumu slipped out from against the locker. She playfully trailed two fingers up Karin’s arm as she walked away. “I’ll see you at practice later, sweetheart.”

Once her brain finally rebooted, Karin’s first thought was how much she loved her girlfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day!


	15. Karin/Setsuna

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karin teaches Setsuna how to pose like a model.

Setsuna sat in the clubroom by herself with her laptop open, looking for a very specific video. Practice was over, so the others had gone home, but she had one more thing she wanted to work on before calling it quits for the day. Considering the potential embarrassment in what she wanted to practice, she was glad everyone else had left—including her girlfriend.  _ Especially _ her girlfriend. If Karin caught her practicing something like this, Setsuna might  _ actually _ die from embarrassment.

Finally, she found the video she was looking for: the MV for Karin’s latest song,  _ Firebird. _ She spent the next ten minutes watching it, which was entirely too much time for a video not even two minutes long. It was just that… she’d hit play then get entranced by Karin’s movements. So entranced that she forgot to focus on what she was trying to learn in the first place. Then she’d catch herself not paying attention and restart the video, only to repeat the process over and over. 

Her girlfriend was just too enticing—a fact which Setsuna was more than well aware of under normal circumstances, but watching her perform took it to the next level. It was that sort of feeling that Setsuna wanted to try capturing for herself. Even if only a little. Her shows already had passion, but maybe adding a little bit of cool, mature vibes could bring her performances to the next level.

“Oh, I was very proud of that move. Doing little ‘brush away’ gestures like that is always fun.”

Setsuna slammed her laptop closed and turned around in her chair, barely holding back a scream. Karin stood behind her, slightly bent over and sporting one of her signature grins. She was also  _ incredibly _ close. A furious blush erupted on Setsuna’s face at being caught in the act. 

“K-Karin! It’s not what you think!”

That grin grew larger. “Oh? All I saw was my girlfriend enjoying one of my music videos. Was there perhaps an… ulterior motive?” Karin’s voice dropped to a whisper at the very end, and it made Setsuna  _ very _ glad she was already sitting down.

“I! I just wanted to learn some of your poses! I thought I could try using them for myself to improve my own performances.”

For whatever reason, that answer seemed to catch Karin off guard. The grin dropped, and she furrowed her brow and stood up straight, exiting Setsuna’s bubble of personal space. 

“Your performances are already top-notch, Setsuna, and they’re filled with your unique personality. Why change?” She paused for a moment, then the grin came back. “Besides, I thought the cool, sexy vibe was  _ my _ thing.”

“It is, and you’re very good at it, Karin!” Setsuna said, sincerity overflowing from each word. This time it was Karin’s turn to blush, but Setsuna continued, barely noticing. “I don’t want to completely change what I do, but I thought a better knowledge of posing and movement could bring my shows to the next level. And who better to learn from than an actual model?”

Karin chuckled and put a hand on her hip. “You could have just asked me, you know. We  _ are _ dating, and I’d be more than happy to give my girlfriend some…  _ hands on _ instruction.” She again leaned down into Setsuna’s personal space.

Setsuna’s eyes lit up, completely oblivious to the double entendre. “Really? You would? I just didn’t want to bother you.”

She almost fell out of her chair when Karin leaned in more and kissed the tip of her nose. “It’s no bother at all. Would you like me to teach you a little bit now?”

“Really? Oh thank you!” Setsuna threw her arms around Karin’s neck for a quick, somewhat awkward hug, then got out of her seat.

The two cleared a little space and set up a full length mirror. While the idea of practicing poses in front of a mirror made logical sense, it still felt somewhat embarrassing—especially if she were going to be trying some of the more mature poses. Karin insisted, though, and she  _ was _ the expert, after all. Once the setup was done, they got started.

“Some of my favorite poses use asymmetry to create a striking image,” Karin said, standing with Setsuna in front of the mirror. “And it doesn’t always have to be incredibly pronounced. It mainly depends on what sort of look you’re going for.” 

As if to demonstrate, she made a few minor adjustments to her stance. They’d both been standing relatively straight and upright, but with practiced ease, Karin slightly dropped one shoulder, cocked the opposite hip out just a little, and shifted most of her weight onto that leg. She’d hardly moved at all, but the difference was instantly noticeable when next to Setsuna’s rather rigid stance.

Once again, Setsuna’s eyes lit up, and she turned to face her girlfriend.

“Oh Karin, that was amazing! Let me try, let me try.”

She took a deep breath and tried to replicate what Karin had done. Drop one shoulder, cock the hip and transfer her weight— Okay, too much weight transfer, she almost fell over. Once she was sure in her footing, she looked in the mirror and felt a pang of disappointment. Something about the pose didn’t quite look right. It felt too… forced. She saw Karin move to stand behind her.

“It looks wrong, doesn’t it?” Karin asked. Setsuna nodded. “You took it a bit too far. While asymmetry can look good if you have a little or a lot, there’s an uncanny valley in the middle where it doesn’t look right.”

Without warning, Karin reached out and lightly grabbed Setsuna’s upper arms. She gently repositioned the line of Setsuna’s shoulders to make the angle slightly less extreme. Then she moved her hands lower, placing them on the curve of Setsuna’s hips, and Setsuna felt heat rush to her face. She forced herself to stay calm, though; Karin was simply trying to help her.

A gentle nudge brought Setsuna’s hip into a bit more of a natural position. Karin’s hands then moved even lower to Setsuna’s upper thigh, and it took all of Setsuna’s willpower not to collapse on the spot. Karin re-shifted Setsuna’s weight, letting her fingers linger and keeping an eye on Setsuna’s reaction. 

Setsuna, though, was too busy admiring how much of a difference Karin’s subtle adjustments made. “That’s incredible, Karin! It’s amazing how much a few millimeters can improve a whole look!”

Karin let out a long-suffering sigh and stood up. There was a smile on her face, though, as she turned Setsuna around to face her. 

“I should have known better than to be subtle with you.”

And she pulled Setsuna in for a kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about posing, so hopefully that was all coherent, lmao.


	16. Ayumu/Shizuku

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shizuku and Ayumu share an umbrella after Ayumu forgot hers.

Ayumu stood at the main entrance of Nijigasaki, staring outside dejectedly. It was raining. And she didn’t have an umbrella. None of the weather forecasts that morning had called for storms, so she had figured an umbrella wasn’t necessary. She sighed.

“Ayumu?” 

She turned around at the familiar voice of her girlfriend, Shizuku, behind her. That surprised Ayumu; after idol club practice, Shizuku had mentioned needing to stay behind to do something with the theater club. Maybe it had ended early? She supposed it didn’t much matter, really.

“I’m surprised to see you still—” Shizuku cut herself off, seeing the weather outside. “Oh. Let me guess: didn’t bring an umbrella?”

Ayumu shook her head, a little embarrassed blush rising. She liked to think she was a very prepared, well put together person, and this was a direct contradiction of that.

Shizuku smiled gently and came up to stand next to her. She placed one comforting hand on the small of Ayumu’s back while the other reached into her bag. After a moment, she pulled out a retractable umbrella.

“Then how about I walk you home?” Shizuku asked, lowering her voice in the best ikemen impersonation she could muster. 

It definitely had the desired effect. Ayumu couldn’t deny that her blush deepened. Her girlfriend sounded so cool when she let her voice go deeper like that. That, coupled with the hand on her back, flustered her more than she cared to admit.

“B-But you live so far away,” Ayumu said, thinking about how often she heard Shizuku talk about her lengthy commute. “I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you.”

Shizuku moved the hand on Ayumu’s back to the curve of her hip, pulling Ayumu closer. “It wouldn’t inconvenience me! We’re girlfriends after all! I’d feel bad if I left you to walk home in the rain without an umbrella.”

Ayumu leaned into the hug. “Then thank you. I’m ready to go if you are.”

As answer, Shizuku smiled, led Ayumu towards the door, and opened the umbrella. It was… smaller than Ayumu had hoped, but it still looked big enough to cover both of them. Maybe. Sadly, Shizuku had to remove her hand from Ayumu’s waist to effectively hold the umbrella between them, and Ayumu missed the touch almost immediately. To make up for it, she wrapped her own arm around her girlfriend’s waist. Shizuku let out a happy little hum and stepped into the embrace. Maybe they’d both fit under the umbrella after all. 

The couple stepped outside, and the rain buffeted them almost immediately. If Ayumu had tried to go home without an umbrella, she surely would have gotten soaked to the bone—maybe even caught a cold from it. All in all, she was very glad her girlfriend had showed up when she did. Though now she was curious about that again.

“I was surprised to see you leaving school so early,” Ayumu said as they hurried along the sidewalk to the bus stop. “I thought you had theater club things to do after idol club practice.”

“I did, but they didn’t take very long. The president just wanted to go over the rehearsal schedule with everyone in person, in case any questions came up.”

“That’s right, you have a production starting soon! You’re doing, um… you’re doing….” Ayumu trailed off, unable to remember the name of the play. She felt bad because she  _ knew _ Shizuku had mentioned it before, but the title still escaped her.

“ _ Ondine,” _ Shizuku said. “The play is called  _ Ondine. _ I was so excited because Audrey Hepburn played the titular character in the Broadway production! But I didn’t get the lead role. I’m playing the Princess Bertha, who had her love stolen from her by Ondine. It’s a fantastic role! But… I really wanted to play a character that Audrey Hebpern played.”

“Her movies are what got you interested in acting, right?” Ayumu asked. She already knew the answer, but truth be told, she enjoyed listening to Shizuku talk about it. Her normally composed demeanor gave way to unbridled excitement, and her enthusiasm was so endearing.

Shizuku spent the rest of the walk to the bus stop gushing about Audrey Hepburn, and Ayumu loved every second of it.

The bus finally arrived, and the two boarded with a palpable sense of relief. The longest portion of the journey on foot was completed because thankfully, Ayumu lived pretty close to a stop. They practically collapsed into their seats, their positions flipped from how they’d been walking, and Ayumu noticed something.

“Shizu! Your shoulder is soaked!”

The girl in question looked down at her shoulder and let out an embarrassed chuckle.

“Oh, I suppose it is. But at least you’re completely dry, right?”

Ayumu pouted. “That’s not the point. I didn’t want you to sacrifice your own comfort for me. Now your uniform jacket is all wet.”

Shizuku waved her hand in front of her face, as if to wave off the concern. “It’s fine, I’m sure it’ll dry on my commute home.”

An idea formed in Ayumu’s mind, but it took her a few seconds to work up the courage to actually say it. 

“Or you could come inside when we reach my apartment for some tea and let me dry it for you,” Ayumu said, eyes darting around, trying not to blush. “It’s been a while since we’ve gotten to spend some quality time together.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shizuku starting to blush as well.

“T-That’s very kind of you to offer. I only worry, then, that I might not make it home until very late.”

Ayumu blushed harder at what she was about to suggest. “I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind if you stayed the night. I-If that’s something you’d be interested in, of course! I don’t want to pressure you into—” 

“I think that sounds lovely,” Shizuku said. Her voice had no hesitation, despite the furious blush that still adorned her cheeks. “I’ve also missed spending time alone with you.”

As if to punctuate her point, Shizuku turned her head and leaned in, planting a quick kiss to Ayumu’s cheek. Ayumu couldn’t help the giggle that came out as she covered her blushing face with her hands. Sometimes her girlfriend was too much, and she loved every moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Ayumu day! This scene was kind of based on the skit Agupon and Kaorin did together a while back. I just love the idea of ikemen Shizu, lol.
> 
> This was also written as part of the "Wake Up Challenger 2021" event over on the Idol Fanfic Heaven discord server (<https://discord.gg/CaqureT>)! This was prompt Easy-Bonus-1: Write pairing you haven't written before. Considering that's basically this entire anthology, I figured it worked.
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed!


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